URL Encoding and Query Parameters: encodeURI vs encodeURIComponent
2026-05-06
Encode URLs safely for browsers and APIs: spaces, Unicode, and why parameter values need stricter encoding.
Reserved characters in URLs have special meaning; encoding replaces them with percent-escaped bytes.
encodeURI is meant for full URLs; encodeURIComponent is for individual query values so & and = stay meaningful.
Double-encoding is a common bug—decode once on the server and validate, do not chain encoders blindly.
Test with Unicode and spaces; user-generated search strings are where encoding errors usually appear.